The US House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the Capitol Thursday released its final report. The 845-page report details the committee’s findings and recommendations, including the criminal referrals voted upon by the committee during their last public meeting.
The report describes events leading up to, during, and in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot as well as individuals involved in perpetrating what the report refers to as “the big lie.” The committee then recommends ten points of action for both congress and the US moving forward. Those recommendations include:
- Urging the Senate to pass the Presidential Election Reform Act to reform congress’s dated election procedures;
- Urging criminal and civil accountability for any of the misconduct described in the report;
- Urging federal agencies to identify and address the threat of domestic violence extremism in the US;
- Urging congress to consider whether Section 3 of Fourteenth Amendment bars certain individuals who have “engaged in an insurrection” from holding future state or federal office;
- Designating January 6 as a national special security event, which receives specific security measures and advance planning similar to the State of the Union;
- Considering reform of certain criminal statutes to cover conduct witnessed during January 6 and properly penalize such conduct;
- Developing legislation to create a cause of action for the House of Representatives to properly enforce its subpoena power;
- Enhancing federal protection for election workers and the election process;
- Regularly and rigorously overseeing Capitol Police processes and practices; and
- Urging congress to evaluate media company policies that effectively radicalize their consumers, such as what occurred in the lead up to January 6.
The report is the conclusion of the committee’s work, spanning July 2021 through this past week. In that time, the committee held nine public hearings and presented evidence from over 70 witnesses. The committee has also began publishing transcripts from the depositions of those 70 witnesses. So far, the committee has released transcripts from 40 witnesses.
